


A Day with a Vizard

by embryo_poets



Category: Bleach
Genre: Coffee, Gen, Lilynette, PWP, RP, Shinji - Freeform, Tongue Rings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-26
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-17 01:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/546192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embryo_poets/pseuds/embryo_poets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rp I started three months ago on tumblr with dropdeadgroovy. Lilynette finds the Vizard in Hueco Mundo, and she is interested in getting a piercing of her own. Coffee, scary tattoo artists, and video games ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: Music Tastes

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy reading our rp-turned-fic. Feedback is appreciated. :)

She shivered when she felt a strange reiatsu very close to her. It was very unique, but it was like meeting a familiar stranger; you just can’t put your finger on it. Turning around, she meet a tall, slim man with piano-key teeth. “Nnoitra? Did you dye your hair?”

Shinji furrowed his brow lightly at the young girl. He had seen her before, briefly, during the Winter War. She had been with that wolf guy— what was his name again? But he had lost track after he fully involved himself with Aizen and hadn’t seen what happened to most others until much later. Apparently, she had made it out okay.

“Ehh?” His nose wrinkled lightly at the question. “I ain’t never dyed it an’ I don’t know who ya think I am, but that ain’t my name.” He frowned a bit, exposing just a bit more of those teeth, and extended a hand out to her. “Hirako Shinji, captain of the Fifth Division.”

Lilynette took his hand, shaking it once and letting it go. “Lilynette Gingerback, weapon of Coyote Starrk,” she stated, hands on her hips. The sense of knowing him was started to bother her know; she’s seen him before, but where?

“Hirako-san, haven’t I seen you before?” Uncertainty was something she didn’t like to have.

Finally, his lips turned upward into a light grin. “Ya probably remember me from the war. I guess you two were caught up with your own battle, but I was fightin’ Aizen. My clothes are a bit different, now,” he motioned to the rather bland black and white of his uniform, “but I was there.”

She nodded, recalling the events of the Winter War. When Hirako mentioned Aizen, her eyes widened. “You fought Aizen? And lived?” That was something you didn’t hear everyday. Lilynette eyed his new attire, which was a captain’s haori. “So you’re a captain now?” Through newfound friends from the Soul Society, she was starting to understand how it works.

Shinji faltered lightly at the question. How had this small child noticed such a difference when so many Soul Reapers had not? Or, perhaps, they had simply ignored it, too fearful of the answer. He wondered how many of his own subordinates feared him. He shoved those thoughts away; he couldn’t stomach that idea.

“Seems kinda weird, don’t it?” he asked with a faint smile. “We’re a bit more alike than ya’d think. Ya see,” a hand raised to tap lightly at his own forehead, “I’m part Soul Reaper an’ part Hollow. Originally one, but some stuff happened. Ya know how the Espada were made, right? Aizen givin’ ‘em that power t’ become more like us? S’kinda the same thing here, only backwards. Soul Reapers who’ve ventured int’ the realm of Hollow— we’re called Vizard.”

“Vizard,” she muttered to herself. A sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach churned, reminding her of how _sick_  Aizen was. How could he resort to such things for the dream of ultimate perfection, too kill and experiment on his peers like that…

She looked back up at him curiously. “If you’re kinda like the Espadas, do you have tattoos for rank, too?”

He was ultimately pleased that she didn’t seem too horrified of him. He remembered getting a few of those looks— something mixed between fear and caution with just a hint of pity. They were really unsettling. He was the same guy as before, though he could understand the hesitation. If he had been on the opposite side, he might have done the same.

“Nah, it ain’t nothin’ like that,” he told her, in explanation of their ‘ranking’ system. “We just grouped t’gether. We ain’t really have a leader or anything, though someone had t’ take some sorta control an’ I stepped up. It’s not like ya’d think of, though. I didn’t boss anyone ‘round or issue out orders. I just did my own thing an’ they decided for themselves if it was good enough t’ follow along with.”

Of course, there was more to it than that, for Shinji. They were like his family and even if they hadn’t followed behind him, he would have made sure they were okay in whatever they had done. He felt responsible for them, at the very least.

She nodded slowly as he explained, taking in the new information in stride. Though they were like Hollows, the Vizards had more of a conscience and will than the Arrancars, who needed to be told what to do to keep from going at each other’s throats to battle for dominance.

“If you’re part Hollow, why didn’t the Sereitei try hunting you guys down, like they did to the Hollow survivors of the war?” she secretly envied them, in a way. They could go out without always feeling like their heads are on the executioner’s stone.

A moment of surprise registered across his features at the news. Had they really been tracking down the surviving enemies? He didn’t quite put it past Yamamoto, but more surprising had been that he’d been so unaware of it. Had it been done before he was searched out and asked back to his old position? That was the only excuse— right?

“Well, it ain’t like they never tried killin’ us off,” he told her with a faint smile. “When it first happened, the old man ordered us t’ be disposed of like we were any other Hollow. Kisuke an’ Yoruichi saved us, though. I guess steppin’ in durin’ the war put us back in their good graces.” He rolled his eyes at the last statement. “Or the old man was just desperate enough t’ fill the spots.”

He shot a glance around their surroundings. “They come here lookin’ for ya? That don’t really seem like somethin’ the Captain Commander would order. Maybe some wild card’s goin’ off on ‘is own again.”  
Knowing who Yoruichi and Kisuke were, she nodded. They were very nice to her and didn’t care what she did, but they warned her about the Shinigami that still held a grudge against the Arrancars.

“It wasn’t a lot of people that looked for us,” she elaborated. “Just this one guy with a lot of face paint on and looked like a ram. He kept going on about ‘experiments’, along with several other people. But they haven’t came back after Yammy lost his memory and almost ruined the place.”

“Mayuri,” Shinji scoffed with a frown. “That makes sense.” Though, he didn’t seem pleased about it in the least. Those types of people were among the lowest, to him; how did that creep even get control of Kisuke’s old squad? It was a disgrace, as far as Shinji was concerned.

He gave a light sigh and lowered himself to sit on the ground, legs crossed and elbows resting themselves on his knees. His head tilted to the side lightly as he studied her. “So, whadda ya do for fun ‘round here?” It was a common question for most that he met in Hueco Mundo and he never really got a decent answer.

Mayuri…so that was his name. She would have to remember that, in case the coward decided to return to collect his ‘subjects’. Snapping out of her reverie to see him sit down, she plopped down on ground with him after his question.

“Well, I like to go to the World of the Living and buy candy. Usually I hang out with Kichiro, he’s the son of Yammy and Nel. But it’s more fun anywhere but here,” she shrugged.

Shinji wasn’t quite sure who Yammy was, but he had met someone named Nel before. She seemed like a decent motherly type; she had a nice look in her eyes, anyway. He gave her a light grin and a nod of understanding.

“I was livin’ there for a long time after I got kicked outta the Soul Society. I got real used t’ everything there. Gotta admit, they got a lotta cool shit. Not t’ mention they do some amazin’ stuff with coffee~ Ya got a favorite thing t’ do there?”

She grinned broadly. “I explored almost all of Karakura, and my favourite place was the candy store! I go there whenever I can, and last time I went they had this fair thing, so me ‘nd Kichiro went on these really cool rides,” she chattered, remembering that certain day with fondness.

“I’ve had coffee before,” she said, making a face. “It was so bitter until I added milk and sugar.” She refused to drink it unless it was sweet.

“Ya sure do like candy, don’t ya?” Why did all children seem to have an overzealous attraction to the stuff? It was kind of weird, as far as he was concerned. And then she began talking about her preferences toward coffee and Shinji couldn’t say that he was surprised.

“Ya can’t put too much in or it ruins the taste!” he objected, frowning a bit again. “It’d be no different than drinkin’ hot sugar water.” The thought alone made him wrinkle his nose, though the next moment he was shaking his head and attempting to think of a more docile subject for them to talk about.

“Well, what kinda music do ya like? If ya’ve been down t’ the livin’ world enough, ya shoulda heard somethin’ ya liked.”

“Oh I love music!” she laughed. “I really like this American band called Slipknot, they’re the best!” She had found the band after she heard the song “Before I Forget” blasting from someone’s car as the sped by while she was walking down a sidewalk. “After that, I found a lot of rock bands, like The GazettE, and their song Guren and Taion,” she described.

“What sort of music does Hirako-san like?” she asked, blinking at him. She couldn’t see him as a high-energy, aggresive music kind of guy, but instead into a laid-back type of genre.

“Don’t ring a bell, really.” Shinji could admit that he’d never quite heard the bands she spoke of, though the names did sound vaguely familiar. It had never been in his stream of sound, though, so he paid them little mind. Rather, he’d heard Hiyori talking about them and decided to avoid them at all costs. The thought of this girl being anything like the tiny Vizard caused Shinji to mentally shudder.

“Jazz,” he answered easily, “an’ swing. Older stuff, really. Ever heard of a guy named Frank Sinatra?” It had definitely been one of the highlights of his stay in the living world to meet and talk with that great man.

“Jazz?” she blinked. She recalled listening to it after stumbling upon a lounge club one evening. It had a contagious rhythm and she did enjoy it, but it didn’t float her boat much. “I have listened to it, but I guess I just gravitate towards rock and metal,” she admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

“I think I know who you’re talking about,” she added. “This lounge club I found were talking about him and his music.” She figured they were playing his music that evening.  
“Hey, what about Santana?” She suggested.

“That’s a bit more my style,” he offered lightly, giving a faint smile. “I think we mostly got real different tastes in music, though. Not that it’s a bad thing.”

He eyed her up and down for a moment before proceeding. “I gotta ask, though— how old are ya?” He wasn’t quite sure of the aging scale of Hollow, but he was sure she was much older than she appeared.

She nodded agreeing with his statement. There was dozens of music genres out there; she didn’t expect to see everyone she met having the exact same taste as she did.

“Well…” she trailed off, scratching her head. “We don’t really keep track with stuff like that; after seeing the same colour for so long, we tend to forget.”

"What about you, Hirako-san?” she asked.

“T’ be honest, I don’t like givin’ out my age too much,” he said with a short laugh. “Though, since I asked ya, I guess I gotta answer~” His eyes trailed upward as his tongue paused in his mouth, the small ring clicking against the back of his teeth in thought.

“A little over three-hundred. Like ya said, keeping exact track is kinda pointless after a while. ‘Sides it don’t make me feel quite as old if I ain’t got an exact number. I can say ‘three-hundred’ for a while ‘fore it hits ‘four-hundred’.” Though, if he had to really think about it, that marker was growing closer and closer. The mid-point of the century marked his own turn of a hundred years. He gave a light sigh and waved a hand.  
“S’all ‘bout how young ya feel, anyway~”

She gaped. Three hundred? If that’s how long Shinigami could live then-

Her thoughts went in a new direction as she heard a muted clicking sound coming from Hirako’s mouth. Did he have a lip piercing?

“I guess so,” she agreed softly. Turning to look at him while drawing her knees under her chin, she inquired, “What was that noise you made?” She attempted in imitating its sound by clicking her tongue, but it didn’t sound as _metallic_.

“Eh?” At first, he wasn’t quite sure what noise she was talking about— the gesture had become so common to him over the years that he barely even realized he was doing it. Then, she began clicking her own tongue and he let out a grin.

His own muscle shot out from between his lips, displaying the metal hoop embedded in it for a few moments before withdrawing it back into his mouth to speak again. “S’a tongue ring. I got it in the livin’ world. Ya like it?”

A tongue ring? She never knew people could get one of those! “It’s so cool!” she gushed. “I want one’a those!” She paused; there was a small problem. Though she knew it would hurt initially, there might be some after problems.

“What if you’re eating and food gets stuck between your tongue and the ring?” Even though she would like one, she thought that would be a bit weird.

Somehow, he had expected her to be fascinated with the jewelry; she was reminding him more and more of Hiyori by the minute. Though, a much quieter, not as infuriating version. It wasn’t a bad thing, to say the least.

“Well, ya gotta keep it clean,” he told her, motioning with a hand. “They got all sorts things for it, so it’s really hard t’ fuck it up unless you’re lazy ‘bout it. I didn’t run int’ any problems with this one, though.”  
He thought for a moment and then gave her a grin. “I think one would suit ya pretty well.”

“Really? What happens if you don’t take care of it, ‘cause I want one too,” she added cheerfully. She thought Hirako was really cool, and his tongue ring was neat. “Is there different kinds of tongue rings?”

“Infections,” he told her with a lightly distasteful tone. “Real nasty type’a things. S’better not t’ find out first-hand. Though,” he paused a moment to gesture toward her, “with how young ya look, there ain’t no way someone down there would do it. Maybe even if ya had an adult with ya. ‘Course, they sell kits that let ya do it all yourself.”

He gave a nod to her second question. “They got all sortsa different types. Bars an’ hoops an’ studs. I prefer the one I got in, now. Bars feel uncomfortable an’ the studs ain’t obvious enough for me.”

She frowned at the sand and kicked it. Man, she was really looking foward to getting one. How could he get one know? And those do-it-yourself kits seemed pretty painful, and she wouldn’t work up the nerve to do it at home..

“I know!” she exclaimed, jumping up an down. “You can take me to the World of the Living and I can get one!” she proposed. This plan would definitely work; since Hirako would be there with her.

“M-me?” His tongue stumbled slightly over the word. Really, how had he not seen the request coming? He’d talked it up way too much and who else would take her? Somehow, he was sure her mind had already ruled out Starrk as a possibility, for whatever reason. Well, it wasn’t as if she really was a child; she was her own responsibility.

His mind swept over any possible consequences of the actions, but none he could bring up were really worth telling the girl ‘no’. Finally, he gave a conceding sigh.

“If ya really want it, I ain’t gonna say no.”

“Whoo-hoo!” she cheered, jumping up suddenly. She opened up a small Garganta, ran behind him, and started to push him with her hands on the small of his back towards the entrance.

“Get in, Hirako! This is gonna be great!” she urged. She couldn’t wait to show it off to everyone, it was gonna be so cool!


	2. Scary Tattoo- Guy and a Nervous Lilynette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilynette and Shinji enter a tattoo parlor that doubles as a piercing place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, Happy Halloween! I'm dressing up as Johnny the Homocidal Maniac; not sure if many people know about him...
> 
> Please note that this Shinji is in a relationship with Aaroniero, which is why Lilynette mentions him.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated :)

“H-hey, careful!” He stumbled forward and into the rip of space. Fortunately, he had been in and out of that particular method of transportation quite often— this trip to Hueco Mundo certainly wasn’t his first in recent months— and so he quickly adjusted to the change in stability beneath his feet.

It didn’t take long to traverse the pathway and emerge on the other side, placed in the heart of Karakura Town. He took a split second to gain his bearings before looking back to her. 

“The place ain’t too far from here. S’real fortunate— this guy can see people like us. But that ain’t too uncommon in this town. Ya could almost get away with not bein’ stuck in a Gigai at all with how many people notice ya.”

She skipped out of the Garganta happily. Looking around her, she frowned. She hasn’t been in this part of Karakura in a while, so she wasn’t exactly familiar with everything around her. She turned to Shinji and stated, “Hirako-san, you’re gonna hav’ta lead the way, I don’t come here much.”

How odd…usually she would encounter one or two people every now and then that could see spirits, albeit faintly, but a decent amount of bypassers that could perceive them clearly? How odd, indeed.

“Sure thing. Follow me~” As soon as his feet hit the ground, they began tracing down familiar roads. Granted, the whole of his time hadn’t been spent in one, small town, but certainly a good portion of it. It was as close to home as he had ever gotten outside of the Soul Society and the streets were mapped in his mind clearly and vividly.

“Ya ain’t gonna cry, are ya?” he asked, sending her a look. “I don’t do too well with people cryin’.” It was the most relevant question he could think to ask to pass the time during their trek. He was hard-pressed to ever make small talk, but somehow being around someone as upbeat and talkative as the young girl andcontinuing in silence would seem off. More awkward even than attempting to make conversation. 

Lilynette walked next to him and a bit behind him, looking around to remember the names of streets and landmarks, in case she ever found herself lost one day. Everything here was different than of what she was used to. Though she had spent time in Karakura, she has never seen anything compared to bright neon signs and colourful posters that decorated shops, trying to catch their attention.

“Tch,” Lilynette scoffed. “What makes you think I’mma cry about this?” Lilynette narrowed her eyes and glared at the passing cars, sidestepping his question carefully. “If I start crying, which us totally not gonna happen,” she added, “Then you can punch me or something.” She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Did _you_ cry?” she asked reluctantly.

“‘Course I didn’t cry!” he answered immediately, though a bit too quickly for any thought to actually have been put into the answer. “I told ya before, didn’t I? I’ve been through enough that somethin’ like this couldn’t possibly hurt!” He could guess that, as young as she seemed, the girl at his side had a similar history. Well, the girl  _almost_ at his side. His feet paused for a moment and his body turned the slight bit to face her. 

“Ya ain’t gotta walk behind me, ya know. I’d prefer it if ya didn’t.” He hated the sensation of being followed— associated too closely with Aizen’s presence lingering at his back. It was an annoying trait of his subordinates to follow behind him, as well; as customary as it might have been, Shinji despised it.

Another shift of his head and his eyes locked onto a shop halfway down the street they had just turned onto. It stood out with obvious, brightly-lit neon colors depicting services such as piercings and tattoos, burning an imprint into the darkened surroundings.

“Well, I guess it don’t matter, now. We’re here.”

She stuck out her tongue at him before catching up to him and to the front doors of the shop. She grinned to herself, thinking about what kind of piercing to get. It was definite that what she wanted was a ring, like Hirako’s, but she didn’t want just a plain silver colour. “Do you think they have pink rings?” she asked him, tugging on the doors that were clearly marked as ‘Push’, not ‘Pull’.

Lilynette frowned in confusion at first, then she realized her blunder and scowled. _Pushing_ the doors open, she waited expectantly for him to follow, pretending that her little mistake, albeit embarrassing, didn’t happen.

A rather dumbfounded look overcame Shinji’s face as he watched the girl struggle with the door for a long moment. However, with the good sense not to pick on her, he quickly replaced his expression with a grin and followed in behind her.

“Well, you’ll have t’ ask ‘em ‘bout that, won’t ya?” A hand came down to lightly place against her back as he stepped fully inside and made his way to the counter. “M’only here t’ make sure they don’t give ya any trouble, after all.”

A typical appearance met them behind the counter— face sparsely studded with several piercings and inked tattoos weaving their way up tanned arms. The man, having been leaning over the small counter— its only purpose really for separating a small back room for employees from the rest of the shop— tilted his head upward before standing straight up at the sight of customers. One, he took note, rang a slightly familiar bell.

 **“Back for another one, Shinji?!”** he asked with a gruff laugh, though it was cut short as he took in the odd blonde’s appearance.  **“What’s up? Didn’t like the last one?”** He seemed almost lightly insulted as a hand raised to tap meaningfully against the edge of his own eyebrow.

If one had looked closely enough, they would have noticed a pair of faint, almost faded holes burrowing their presence in the flesh just above and below Shinji’s thin eyebrow. It wasn’t something he brought much attention to, and he gave a light scowl at the piercing being brought up.

“It didn’t jive well with me,” he answered shortly. He’d been half-harassed into getting it in the first place and he wasn’t in the mood to be talked into another one. He quickly diverted the conversation to the smaller form at his side. “We’re here for her.”

An equally irritable look crossed the tattoo artist’s face, but he broke his gaze from Shinji’s to peer down at the child.  **“Starting a bit young, aren’t you?”** he wondered with an expression that clearly stated he approved of the idea.  **“Unfortunately, I can’t do anything without a parent’s permission! Even though it doesn’t seem like your parents would mind— do they know you left out of the house looking like** _ **that**_ **?”** His eyes briefly flickered upward to Shinji.  **“Wait. Don’t tell me this lunatic is your** _ **father**_ **.”**

Lilynette tried her best not to run out of that shop, despite the encouraging touch on her back. This guy was _scary_. He was riddled full of piercings like Hirako’s and his arms were inked in every spot available. She had never seen anyone with more ink than blood; the Espadas had tattoos as well, but not as _many_ as the man.

She didn’t say a word as the scary shopkeeper greeted Hirako and chatted easily with him, but looked up as he informed the man that she was getting the piercing. Though the man seemed happy about the fact she wanted a tongue ring, she scowled when she heard him mention something about permission.

Permission? Hah! She didn’t need anyone to tell her what she could do and what she couldn’t do, but if she snapped at this man in defense, surely he would turn them away. She looked up at Hirako, panic starting to settle in.

When Lilynette made no move to speak, he stepped forward. “An’ what if I am?” he demanded. “It ain’t your business how she dresses, so stop lookin’ at ‘er like that, ya creep!”

 **“** _ **I’m**_ **the creep? You’re the one walking around with an underage girl who is most definitely not your daughter!”** If the two were related in the slightest, it would have come as a shock to the owner. However, he wasn’t wholly concerned with the details. If Shinji wanted to lie to him— as vaguely and backwards as he had— then he would go along with it.  Clearly, whoever the girl’s parents were, they weren’t role model citizens. The way she dressed and the unnatural color of her hair— was that some sort of eye patch?— was proof enough that she wasn’t looked after very well. Maybe the eccentric man was some weird uncle or something.

 **“Whatever,”** he dismissed, turning his back to the pair to grab a book.  **“What’s it gonna be, then? Lip? Nose?”** He shot a sarcastic look back at Shinji.  **“Eyebrow?”**

The Vizard’s eye twitched lightly as his hands found the edge of the counter and he leaned forward just a bit. “ _Tongue_ ,” he replied, sticking his own out in a mocking gesture. 

For a moment, the shop owner looked as if he wanted to kick the pair out just on principle of how annoying this guy was. However, money was soon displayed on the counter before him and his thoughts were turned toward the cash. A hand snatched out to quickly grab it up and he carefully counted it, raising his eyes to Lilynette’s only after confirming that it was a satisfactory amount.

 **“Alright. Come on, then. Up the stairs.”** He jerked his head toward the staircase and headed up himself a moment later.

“Maybe we shoulda tried the home kit, after all,” Shinji muttered under his breath, looking down to Lilynette. “M’ready whenever you are.”

Lilynette quietly smirked as Hirako told the man off, relieved that she had a chance to get her tongue pierced after all. She knew that she owed him big time. His daughter?! Is this guy blind or something? Pfft.

Looking up to see Hirako hand the man money, her little smirk turned into a full-blown, shit-eating grin. Walking up the stairs between the man and Hirako, she muttered, “Nah, I would’ve chickened out if I did one at home. No turning back now.” She looked back over her shoulder to flash him a little grin.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Shinji followed the two up the narrow staircase to another room, littered with stations for piercings and, more commonly, tattoos. His mind flashed back to his own, initial piercing— the small hoop secretly embedded in his right nipple— and recalled a bit of nervousness about the entire thing. He didn’t blame the young girl one bit for being a bit shaky on the idea, especially with how spontaneously it had been decided. But if she had any second thoughts, he would easily let her back out of it.

 **“Up on the bed,”** the artist ordered, jabbing his thumb toward something that looked more like a table than a bed— a thin sheet covering an equally thin mattress on a metal structure. Something straight from a doctor’s office, but it served its purpose.  **“Lay down.”**

Shinji scowled lightly at the man— he couldn’t possibly have any children of his own— and nudged her forward lightly. “It don’t take long t’ do. Just gotta put up with this shithead for a little while long.” His voice was low, though even if the guy did overhear him, he would have cared very little. He didn’t tend to bite his tongue when speaking the truth.

She reached the top of the stairs, eyeing her new surroundings with a critical eye. Following the man’s orders, shooting a barely-concealed glare his way. He could at least be a little _nicer_ when telling her what to do. Lilynette laid on her back, one leg raised and knee bent, the other one lying flat on the thin matteress.

Hearing Shinji’s low comment, she giggled quietly, her anxious mind momentarily distracted by him. She felt a little bit better, and was feeling more optimistic about this. Maybe it won’t be so bad, right? “How bad is this gonna hurt?” she asked, partly to Shinji and the piercer, and partly to herself.

Before the other man could say a word, Shinji tapped his own lips a couple of times. “It’s gonna be numbed,” he told her. “Ya shouldn’t feel a thing at all. Might be a little sore afterward, though.”

As if on cue, the other man approached once again with a small tray of objects. He sat them down on a table off to the side and picked up the syringe, sending a glance at her. The other gloved hand held a small bit of gauze and he motioned to her. 

 **“That’s what this is— local anesthetic. You’re not allergic to anything, are you?”** He would wait for a response, though assumed if someone as experienced with piercings as Shinji was had brought her, he already knew she would be okay. At least, on the medical side of the spectrum. 

Approaching her bedside, he looked down at her and let the hand clutching the needle rest at his side.  **“If not, then open up and we’ll get started.”**

Lilynette nodded in relief when he said that it would be numbed. What was the point of her being afraid? _If it’s not gonna hurt, then stop being such a baby_ , she mentally scolded to herself. The piercer brought am array of objects to the table and took out a _syringe_. Memories of Szayel’s early experiments came to life in her head, an she tried to will them away.

“I’m not allergic, whatever that is,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes as the man walked over and stood, waiting. She opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, trying to stretch it out as far from her lips as possible. But then, she drew her tongue back in so quickly, a chameleon would be jealous. She forgot to ask him something!

“I wanna pink ring,” she said seriously, glaring up at the man.

The man stared down at her for a long moment, an almost dumbfounded expression on his face. Was she serious? He let out a snort and pried open her lips, trapping her tongue between two layers of gauze and pulling it out from her mouth.

 **“Everyone gets a standard bar at first. If you want something fancy, make your ‘dad’ buy it for you.”** His other hand, still holding the needle, raised.  **“Keep still. And don’t watch if you’re squeamish.”**

Despite being sure that she could handle something like a small needle, Shinji moved closer to the other side of the bed. He allowed his hand to rest on it lightly, mostly presenting itself in case she wanted something to hold onto. His own eyes diverted away as the man slipped the needle into her tongue and depressed the anesthetic inside.

Lilynette rolled her her eyes as she let him place the gauze in her mouth, despite the temptation to spit it out. Her expression stated, “Fine I’ll get the bar,” with her eyebrow raised and the corners of her gauze-filed mouth twitching upwards.

The man’s hand, equipped with the needle, hovered over her mouth and she _really_ wanted to bat it out of his hand. Her arm twitched, but didn’t flail at the man and most likely smack his face. The needle was cold, and she looked upwards, not wanting to see the cold, silver needle sink into her tongue. It felt like a slight pinch, just like Szayel’s needles, but no extreme pain coming immediately afterwards. A numbing sensation spread quickly throughout her tongue, and in seconds, she couldn’t feel a thing.

A few minutes passed by and another, smaller and simper needle was produced to prick the end of her tongue— a test to make sure the anesthetic had worked. When no objection was given, the artist set to work. He worked quickly and silently, one hand still holding her tongue out at a good length while the other traded the needle and syringe for another, pointed object.

Shinji caught a glance of it and decided it looked something like a screwdriver with a sharpened point. His morbid curiosity couldn’t quite turn his gaze away as he watched the man carefully align the object to a favorable spot in her tongue. Then, as if he were pushing through nothing, his wrist snapped upward and the apparatus plunged through the muscle. And, just like that, it was over.

The man worked quickly to blot away the small stream of blood which had erupted at the sudden intrusion and the next moment, a small barbel was inched through the hole. He took a few more moments to tighten the jewelry before stepping back and surveying her.

 **“There’s a sink over there,”** he said, motioning with his head, **“if you want to rinse your mouth out and check it out.”**

Lilynette saw the piercer take out a small needle and test the deadweight in her mouth that was her tongue. She saw it, but didn’t _feel_ it. How odd, how these humans come up with such techniques. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed him exchange the syringe for a dangerous-looking object that would most likely be stabbing a hole in her tongue any minute now. He held her tongue out and she desperately wanted to draw her tongue in and throw the screwdriver-object he had in his hand at his throat. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea…

With a quick, clean jerk upwards, the sharp object stuck out of the other side of her tongue, and she could see the tip of it, if she crossed her eyes. She blinked in surprise and didn’t say a word. _That was fast, didn’t even know what was comin’_ , she thought. He fiddled with the jewelry that replaced the sharp object. Getting up and following the man’s directions, she went to the industrial sink and ran the tap, cupping her hands under the steady spray of water and swishing it in her mouth. She turned off the water and spat out the pink-stained water. Looking up into the mirror, she stuck out her tongue, with difficulty becase of the fading anesthesia, and smirked. Maybe she would stuck with this one; it wasn’t flashy, but it was still cool-looking.

She spun around to face Shinji, who hadn’t said a word throughout the process. “Whaddya think?” she asked, running up to him and sticking her tongue out again.

A faint smirk crossed Shinji’s lips and he raised a hand to ruffle her hair lightly. “Definitely suits ya,” he decided. He was kind of surprised she hadn’t already had one— but he supposed Hueco Mundo wasn’t exactly filled with advertisements for body jewelry.

His eyes shifted to the other man in the room, busying himself with cleaning up the bloodied utensils and disposing of everything that needed to be. Shinji let a hand fall to tap against Lilynette’s back and he motioned with his head toward the stairs.

“Go on an’ wait outside, yeah? Got somethin’ I wanna ask this freak. Won’t take me long~” 

She grinned at his opinion, but scowled when he had dared to ruffle her hair. _The NERVE._

“Okay, I’ll be outside, then,” she replied. Lilynette made for the stairs, not before pausing at the top and saying over her shoulder, “Thanks, Mr. Piercer-guy.” She hopped down the steps and skipped out the door, settling down on a bench right outside the door. Curiously, she felt the jewelry in her mouth with her index finger, trying to get used to the new feeling.

As promised, Shinji appeared outside the shop’s doors a few minutes later. A bag was clutched in his hand— filled with the typical supplies and instructions regarding caring for the piercing— and he promptly handed it to her.

“Well, the night’s still young,” he said with a wink. “Wanna get int’ any more trouble while we’re here?”

As Shinji walked out, Lilynette jumped off her seat and eyed the the parcel he carried in his hand. “What’s that? Is it for me?” She opened the bag he had given her and scrutinized its contents. Probably for taking care of her new piercing.

Lilynette snickered. “More trouble? I thought we were already in it.~”

“Well, s’why it’s called  _more_ ,” he told her. He thought for only a moment before an idea struck. Well, she had reminded him of Hiyori in more than one way already. “Ya ever played video games?”


End file.
